Homeless Students Need More Services Survey Says

Homeless students in the state aren’t getting the services they need, according to a new survey. The Chicago Coalition for the Homeless asked public school districts and regional education offices about how many homeless students are receiving services such as tutoring or early childhood education. Most responded that there’s no access to those programs for homeless kids, primarily due to a lack of funding.

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“I can’t speak for every school district,” said Rene Haybach, director of the coalition’s Law Project. “I’m sure there are school districts that aren’t doing everything they should every time, and yet we know that, overwhelmingly, this is a resource problem.”

44 percent of the schools surveyed said they lack the resources to even identify homeless students. Haybach says one solution is for lawmakers to grant a request from the Illinois State Board of Education for an additional $3 million in funding in the next fiscal year for homeless student services.